A COMMUNITY shop in Hawkesbury Upton is celebrating its third anniversary.

Hawkesbury Stores opened in June 2016 after the village shop was faced with closure.

The parish raised more than £160,000 to buy and run it themselves, with more than half of households in the parish purchasing shares.

More than 60 volunteers help keep the shop running by carrying out duties from shop work, maintenance, admin and general support.

There are also some paid members of staff as well as a scheme to give 14-18 year olds an introduction to the world of work.

Chris Couzins-Short, chairman of the shop management group, said: "Hawkesbury Community Store continues to evolve and adapt.

"More new shelving has recently been added and the team are looking to replace the shop front making access for buggies and wheelchairs much easier.

"Going into its fourth year of trading the Store continues to seek more ways to provide for the needs of its community whilst at the same time ensuring a long term sustainable future."

Grant funding from the National Lottery helped the shop undergo a full refurbishment back in 2017.

Last year the store won a 'Rural Oscar' when it was named best village shop in the south west by the Countryside Alliance.

Chris said: "The shop was very to attend the Houses of Parliament to collect its prize - an amazing achievement and reflection of all the hard work that has gone into making the shop the centre of the village."

The shop has a focus on local produce, with Hobbs House Bakery, Cotteswold Dairy and Artingstalls butchers all suppliers. It now even stocks a hand-picked range of wines.

Hawkesbury Stores also offer a number of other services and acts as a pick-up point for dry cleaning and prescriptions.

The store, on Hawkesbury Upton High Street, is open 7am-7pm six days a week and from 8am-1pm on Sundays.

More information about the shop is available at hawkesbury-stores.co.uk